


Real Pain for Openers

by MelodramaticMrTails



Series: Talon [2]
Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: Abuse, Death, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2020-01-31 11:22:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18590254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelodramaticMrTails/pseuds/MelodramaticMrTails
Summary: Jason reflects on his new 'family' and what exactly Dick wants from him or 'Jason Todd's first kill'.





	Real Pain for Openers

**Author's Note:**

> another request! this time for 'pre-Jason's death in [shampain for closures]'.  
> i should mention my talon fics aren't generally earth-3 fics because actual comic earth-3 bores me which is why owlman is bruce and not ~thomas~ or w/e

Jason doesn't understand Dick.

Dick holds back while they train, he usually does. Even he knows Jason won't learn much if he gets knocked out immediately every time. He even lets Jason land a blow now and again- before hitting back twice as hard. As difficult as training with him is, Jason is learning a lot. He can actually defend himself from the usual thugs that run around Gotham now. That itself is worth something.

That's not what he doesn't understand, though.

Jason tries to focus on their spar but his mind is still on last night and it's distracting.

“Go keep Clark company, Jason,” Bruce instructed. Jason didn't understand the implication immediately. Why would Bruce's ‘friend’ want his company?

“Ah, but he's still a virgin,” Dick said before Jason could even consider asking, his head in Bruce's lap and the rest of him curled up on the couch. Realisation hit Jason hard in the gut. ‘Company’. His face paled. “He'll just bored Clark.”

“Then you go,” Bruce said. Dick stared at Jason.

“Fine.”

Dick slams him to the mat hard and Jason lets out a breathless gasp at the contact. Okay, that definitely hurt. He tries to get up quickly but it's too late. Dick is on him in a heartbeat, his full weight on Jason's chest and his hands pinning down his wrists. As slight as Dick looks, he's strong and Jason hasn't yet figured out how to get out of this hold. He gives it a shot anyways, trying to squirm free, but with no success. Dick runs his tongue over his lip with a grin.

“Aw, I don't have your full attention, little wing?” he purrs. “You're going to hurt my feelings.” Jason can see the finger shaped bruises on Dick's waist, on his neck and collar. He doesn't make a strong effort to hide them. He didn't have them before last night.

“Get off,” Jason scoffs irritably.

“I'm trying,” Dick replies suggestively. Jason still isn't sure how much of this is a joke. He calls Jason his brother but still makes passes at him. He makes passes at _everyone_ though. As far as Jason knows, he never follows through on them. Unless Bruce tells him to.

Dick doesn't _like_ Ultraman. He could have very well told Jason to keep him ‘company’ like Bruce had said. But he didn't. That's what Jason doesn't understand.

Growing bored of Jason's struggles, Dick finally hops off and Jason sits up again. He rubs his wrists briefly before getting to his feet. Dick's only seventeen but Jason's two years younger and Bruce made no indication Clark would be bothered by _that_. How long has Dick been doing this? He wonders if Dick even _knows_ how to interact with a person in a way that isn't sexual or predatory. Even Bruce, a man Dick considers his father, isn't excluded.

He wonders how long Dick will stand up for him before Jason has to keep someone else ‘company’. This isn't the first time Dick has protected him, even if in some roundabout way.

“Are you okay?” Jason asks hesitantly. Dick doesn't respond right away and his back turned to Jason makes it hard to tell what he's thinking. Not that it's easy in the first place. “You were, uh, limping this morning.”

Dick never charges a debt for his ‘kindness’.

“Talon,” Bruce says and they both turn to look at him as he comes down the stairs into the nest. Jason is glad for the distraction. He shouldn't have asked. “Suit up. We're leaving.”

“Ooh, can Jason come?” Dick asks and Jason flinches back before thinking better of it. Unsurprisingly, he looks forward to the times when Bruce and Dick are out and he can have a moment of peace to himself. Dick has never insisted he go before why-

Clark’s still here.

“Why,” Bruce answers blandly. The look he gives Jason is no different than usual but it still makes Jason want to withdraw. He knows not to shrink away from either of them, it only end badly, but it's hard to put that knowledge to execution sometimes.

“I think he's ready,” Dick assures, grinning wildly as he grabs Jason by the shoulders to yank him closer. Jason doesn't want Bruce to think this was his idea so he just kind of grimaces unpleasantly. “And I've thought of a cool name for him; Nightwing.”

“Nightwing?” Bruce repeats back with an arched brow.

“A Kryptonian god Clark was telling me about,” Dick explains. Bruce looks unamused. “Would an extra hand really hurt? He needs _real_ training, anyways.” He's being pushy about this. If he really thinks being left alone with Clark is a bad idea, Jason won't argue.

“Very well,” Bruce finally says. “Gear up. Now.”

-

Don't throw up. Don't throw up. _Don't throw up._

“Where's Two-Face?” Dick demands in that little hum like voice again. The man beneath him groans weakly in reply, disoriented by pain and blood loss. “Anybody home? No?”

Jason winces his eyes closed as Dick smashes the man’s head clean open with his escrima stick. The sickening crack still echoes in his ears, unfortunately. When he opens his eyes, he looks up at the ceiling to avoid having to see anymore mangled bodies than necessary. He's lost count of how many this makes. Any lackeys not lucky enough to get away when Owlman arrived are being dealt with one by one.

It's a massacre.

Dick moves on to the next guy, mounting his chest and grinning ear to ear.

“Now, let's try this again. Where did Two-Face go?” he urges. The man is obviously too horrified to even speak. Jason closes his eyes again so he doesn't have to see what makes the man scream for mercy.

No one here knows where Two-Face went.

“Nightwing.”

He just keeps screaming. There's a wet, _popping_ noise and Jason’s face runs cold. Don't look and don't throw up, that's all he has to do and he'll make it through this.

“ _Nightwing_ ,” Bruce repeats, sharper this time. Jason jolts, turning to look at him quickly. It's hard getting used to the new name. Looking at him means he's not looking at whatever Dick is doing, though. “Have you found anything?”

“Not yet,” Jason assures. “Talon is still interrogating people.” Torturing them is more accurate.

“Do you plan on helping at some point today?” Bruce asks. Jason winces. _Fuck_ , he knew that was coming. What the hell does he do now?

“It's his first night out, Owlman,” Dick insists. The man stops screaming. Forever. “Let him take in the experience. He'll _never_ forget it.” That's for damn sure. Jason's never going to get the stench of blood out of his head or the sound of breaking bones and dying pleas. It's bad enough he wonders if staying with Ultraman would have been preferred.

“Come here,” Bruce instructs. Jason doesn't dare hesitate. He moves to Bruce's side and Bruce gestures down to a man on his knees. Fuck, fuck, fuck, _fuck do something_. “Kill him.”

Jason doesn't want to do that.

“Okay! Okay! I'll tell you anything, please,” the man begs and it only makes Jason grimace harder. “Two-Face is in his hideout in the south! I can take you there!”

“He's going to take us to Two-Face,” Jason says. “If we kill him-”

“I already know where Two-Face is,” Bruce states plainly. “Kill him, Nightwing.”

“No, no, no,” the man urges desperately, rocking his head down into his hands. Jason closes his eyes. Dick touches him suddenly, drawing his hands up Jason's back before wrapping his arms around his neck and pulling in close. It's far from comforting.

“You have to let him savor it,” he purrs. Jason shudders. “First outing, first kill. Enjoy it.” It's hard to tell if Dick is helping or hurting. Maybe Jason's ‘are you alright’ question was too far and now he's decided to make things as painful as possible or maybe he realises that there really isn't a way for Jason to worm out of this and he's doing his best to give him an opportunity to ease into it. Jason's not sure he'll ever know. Dick hugs him around the neck even tighter, pressing his face right behind Jason's ear.

“You can make it quick,” he says in a low, rumbly voice. “These are bad guys, little wing. You know that. If we let them leave here, they're just going to hurt other people. Like you. Like your _parents_. But it can all be over in an instant. _Euthanasia_.” Jason withholds the urge to shoulder Dick away from him. He doesn't want to help people by having to kill other people.

He doesn't want to kill at all.

“Nightwing,” Bruce says impatiently.

“ _Shut up_ ,” Dick snaps at him, then grins ever so sweetly. “You're going to make him hate this, Owlman. _Be quiet_.”

Does Dick hate this?

Jason knows for a fact Dick is going to pay for this later but especially if Jason doesn't do what Bruce wants- and so will he. He really doesn't have a choice. Shakily, Jason picks up the man’s gun and the guy sobs even louder. His arm trembles so bad, he can't aim even at this short distance. Dick grabs his arm, slowly sliding his hand down to wrap around Jason's and hold him steady. His other arm stays wrapped around his neck.

“One less bad guy, little wing,” Dick purrs. “He won't even feel it.”

The bang is deafening.

“Let's go,” Bruce instructs. “Two-Face isn't far.”

Later, back at home, Bruce hits Dick so hard he loses his balance. Jason winces as Dick laughs, grins all teeth even as his eye starts to swell immediately. Bruce tells him to go see Clark and Dick's grin falters.

Jason never fully recovers his hearing. 


End file.
